History Main / IntrinsicVow

* In ''Fanfic/WinterWar'' the Hollowfied shinigami show signs of this. Despite most of them being broken into TorturedAbominations, their instincts are still there. Examples include [[spoiler: Kira]] refusing to hurt [[spoiler: Hinamori]], [[spoiler: Hitsugaya]] ''turning against'' [[spoiler: Ichimaru's control]] when he sees [[spoiler: Hinamori's bleeding hand]], and [[spoiler: Renji]] calling off his attack when [[spoiler: his Captain Byakuya orders him to stop]].

* ''TheDarkElfTrilogy'' reveals that Drizzt Do'Urden's father was, like himself, a rare 'Good' Drow Elf. (Apparently, ItRunsInTheFamily). After Drizzt turns his back on his people and escapes from Menzoberranzon, vengeful High Priestesses of Lolth brings his father back from the dead as a sort of semi-zombie - undead, but still possessing the skills of his former life (see the Gholas above. Coincidence? Maybe.) The reason being, of course, that Drizzt has proven too fearsome a fighter for all their assassins so far, so they figure that bringing back the man who TAUGHT him to fight might be their only shot. During the final confrontation between Drizzt and his zombified dad, pops managed to break free of the priestesses' control for just long enough to give a final farewell to his son, and then jump into a pool of acid so he wouldn't be able to hurt him. (Somewhat borderline, since his determination not to harm his son couldn't carry him all the way - it was only because the fight against Drizzt had forced the priestesses to slacken their control in order for him to tap into all of his past skills that he was able to break through.)

* Katsa in {{Graceling}} has an awesome moment of this. When the villain is using his hypnotizing voice on her, she is completely falling for it...until he threatens to reveal Po's secret, at which point she throws a knife through his throat. Best part? She didn't even remember what the secret was, just that it was Po's and the surrounding people could NOT know about it.

[[AC:{{Tabletop Games}}]]
* In {{Nobilis}}, having a Virtue is basically this; someone with the "Vegetarian" virtue ''can't'' be tricked into eating meat, someone with "Egocentric" ''can't'' forget who they are, etc.

* There are many variations of MindControl and one or two versions of GrandTheftMe in ''{{Deadlands}}''. Under the classic rule set, virtually every one of them allowed a character a second chance to fight back if they are compelled to do something sufficiently "against their nature," which is left to the [[GameMaster Marshal's]] judgement of the character. Effectively, the rules assume that almost everyone has one or two {{Intrinsic Vow}}s

* In OrderOfTheStick, Haley breaks a paladin out of a suggestion spell by tricking him into thinking he had just attempted to kill the lord he had sworn to serve and protect.

* Recently in OnePiece it was revealed that [[spoiler:Kuma got the scientist turning him into a mindless cyborg to program one last order into him before he became just a pawn of the government]]

* Subverted in {{CodeGeass}} - Euphemia hesitates and resists heroically when given the order to kill the Japanese, but the geass is too powerful for her willpower to break through it.

* In ''Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines'', this exchange takes place when, under the influence of the T-X's reprogramming, the T-800 is holding John Connor down, ready to kill him.

* Subverted in ''High {[Deryni]]'', when Wencit of Torenth has [[MindRape physically and mentally tortured]] Derry, he tells Derry that he'll make him do anything he wants, then proceeds to demonstrate this by making Derry stab himself nearly to death. Wencit also assures Derry that he can make him betray his liege lord and friend Alaric Morgan. Wencit even leaves the dagger with Derry, asserting that his control is so complete he cannot kill himself unless he Wencit wills it. After Wencit leaves his cell Derry does try to kill himself to avoid betraying Morgan, but finds he cannot do so and weeps in despair.

* Katsa in Graceling has an awesome moment of this. When the villain is using his hypnotizing voice on her, she is completely falling for it...until he threatens to reveal Po's secret, at which point she throws a knife through his throat. Best part? She didn't even remember what the secret was, just that it was Po's and the surrounding people could NOT know about it.

* In OrderOfTheStick, Haley breaks a paladin out of a suggestion spell by tricking him into thinking he had just attempted to kill his the lord he had sworn to serve and protect.

* Katsa in Graceling has an awesome moment of this. When the villaiin is using his hypnotizing voice on her, she is completely falling for it...until he threatens to reveal Po's secret, at which point she throws a knife through his throat. Best part? She didn't even remember what the secret was, just that it was Po's and the surrounding people could NOT know about it.

* Haley uses this to break a mind control/suggestion spell on Than, by making him think he had just tried to kill his sworn Lord Shojo, a violation of everything he stood for. The spell breaks, and Haley is able to stop Than from killing himself out of shame by revealing her trick (it was really just Belkar in disguise)

* In {{Randall Garrett}}'s ''LordDarcy'' stories, anyone who becomes a King's Messenger takes a vow (and is given a mind-control treatment to back it up) so that they not only ''cannot'' reveal a message they have been given in their official capacity, they don't even know what it is. Trying to force a King's Messenger to reveal a message in any way (via magic, drugs, torture, whatever) results in his immediate death.

->''Harry's hand halted.\\

* Subverted in {{CodeGeass}} - Euphemia hesitates and resists heroically when given the order to kill the Japanese, but the geass is to powerful for her willpower to break through it.

A character has something he believes in more than anything. A person he has sworn to protect, an ideal he's sworn to uphold. He might have spoken that vow in a sacred ceremony, or simply made a decision in the silence of his heart, it doesn't matter. What matters it that no matter what, he will not break it. ''Not even USING MAGIC TO FORCIBLY HANDWAVE IT IN AWizardDidIt WHILE HERO IS UNCONSCIOUS USING TELEKINESIS will even DARE break it. At all.''

A character has something he believes in more than anything. A person he has sworn to protect, an ideal he's sworn to uphold. He might have spoken that vow in a sacred ceremony, or simply made a decision in the silence of his heart, it doesn't matter. What matters it that no matter what, he will not break it.

Subtrope to HeroicWillpower. See also HeroicVow

* Recently in OnePiece it was revealled that [[spoiler:Kuma got the scientist turning him into a mindless cyborg to program one last order into him before he became just a pawn of the government]]

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* In {{Nobilis}}, having a Virtue is basically this; someone with the "Vegetarian" virtue ''can't'' be tricked into eating meat, someone with "Egocentric" ''can't'' be subject of amnesia, etc.

And that, essentially, is the core of this trope - a character-trait to important to the character that he will break free of outside control or amnesia to keep it. Simply having a vow will not suffice, if it has not been 'tested' in this manner.

* In ''PandoraHearts'', one episode sees Gil entrapped by a monster capable of controlling people with strings (like puppets, y'know). While it initially manages to make him smack around Oz, his best friend/master whom he's sworn to protect, Oz [[BatmanGambit correctly reasons]] that Gil would never be able to kill him, and literally forces Gil's hand - which causes Gil to break free of the strings long enough to gun down the controller.

* In the later ''{{Dune}}'' books, it's revealed that Gholas - who are basically resurrected corpses who possess the skills, but not memories, of their original life - can regain their memories if put in a situation like this. The original case involved Duncan Halley, an extremely loyal follower of the Atreides, being ordered to assassinate Paul, the then-head of the House Atraides.